TLSMLMMM Chapter 44

The bride couldn’t recognize her own groom?

Facing Si Yunyi’s questioning gaze, the director looked somewhat troubled.

“As an elder, it’s not appropriate for me to talk about the younger generation behind their backs. I’ll send you my daughter’s contact information. You can meet her in person and let her explain everything to you. Then you’ll understand.”

Si Yunyi took out his phone and looked at the contact card the director had recommended.

It appeared to be his daughter’s personal account. Her profile picture featured a member of some boy band. Judging from the profile picture alone, it seemed that the possibility of her having face blindness could already be ruled out.

Si Yunyi sent her a friend request. Not long after leaving the academy, he received a greeting message from the director’s daughter while he was in the car.

The director’s daughter had clearly received a good upbringing. Her wording was polite and courteous. She already knew Si Yunyi’s identity from her father and invited him to have lunch at a Chinese restaurant that afternoon. She would also bring her fiancé along.

Si Yunyi tried to find out more about the situation, but the director’s daughter replied with a bitter, “It’s a long story,” adding that he would understand everything once they met that afternoon.

That afternoon, Si Yunyi sent Chu Junlie a message telling him he wouldn’t be coming home for dinner. Then, as promised, he went to the Chinese restaurant.

After waiting for a while, he saw a woman approaching in a plaid woolen coat. She carried a black handbag, and her flowing brown curls gave her an elegant yet capable appearance.

“Hello.” The director’s daughter extended her hand to Si Yunyi in a friendly manner and smiled. “My name is Wu Tian. We’re about the same age, so just call me by my name.”

“Hello.” Si Yunyi shook her hand gently. “My name is Si Yunyi.”

The temperature inside the Chinese restaurant was quite warm. Wu Tian sat opposite Si Yunyi and gracefully removed her coat, revealing a white sweater underneath.

A small pin featuring a cartoon character blowing a heart-shaped kiss was crookedly attached to the front of her sweater. When Wu Tian lowered her head and noticed the pin, she visibly froze for a moment. She quickly removed it and looked up at Si Yunyi with some embarrassment.

“It’s cute,” Si Yunyi said with a faint smile.

Meeting Si Yunyi’s gaze, Wu Tian felt a little embarrassed. She lowered her head and put the little pin into her handbag, trying her best to maintain the image she usually presented in public.

“Doctor Si, you probably heard from my father that my fiancé and I have been engaged for three years.” Wu Tian took a deep breath. “I’m the one who’s been putting off the wedding because I’m really scared.”

“What are you worried about?” Si Yunyi asked gently as he filled the teacup in front of Wu Tian to about seventy percent full.

“I…” Wu Tian was about to speak when Si Yunyi lightly moved his fingers, signaling her to wait.

Wu Tian turned around and saw a man who had just entered through the restaurant’s front door. He was wearing a matching plaid woolen coat, clearly the same style as hers. He was tall and had distinctly mixed-race features, with slightly curly brown hair. The moment he saw Wu Tian, a smile spread across his face.

The man walked toward their table. Si Yunyi lifted his teacup and took a small sip of tea, noticing how Wu Tian’s back suddenly stiffened and how tightly she clenched her hand beneath the table.

“Honey.” The man smiled as he approached. He leaned down and was about to kiss Wu Tian on the cheek when she abruptly pushed him away, her eyes filled with wariness.

“Tell me today’s code phrase,” Wu Tian demanded, watching him suspiciously.

The man looked utterly helpless. He took out his phone and read aloud what was written on the screen.

“Eat grapes without spitting out the bones.”

Wu Tian’s tense body relaxed slightly, but she kept one hand on the seat beside her, preventing the man from sitting down.

“Answer me this. What gift did you give me last Christmas?”

The man blinked, seemingly trying to recall the answer. Seeing the increasingly doubtful look in Wu Tian’s eyes, he smiled.

“It was an entry-level DSLR camera. I even put a fluffy pair of reindeer antlers on it.”

Wu Tian was still only half convinced, so she continued questioning him.

“How much did that camera cost?”

“Honey, don’t do this.” The man glanced at Si Yunyi. “We have a guest with us.”

“I asked you how much that camera cost!” Wu Tian couldn’t control her voice any longer and raised it, attracting the attention of the surrounding diners.

“Are those two lovebirds arguing?” several customers whispered.

“Is something wrong with that woman?”

“Five or six thousand yuan.” The man’s brows furrowed despite himself. “Honey, you were the one who said you were interested in photography, so I chose that gift for you. Have you forgotten?”

Wu Tian paused, seemingly remembering that moment herself. The hand she’d placed on the seat beside her slowly moved away. Looking at the man before her, her expression filled with guilt.

“I’m sorry I shouted at you just now.”

“It’s okay. I know you’ve been really nervous these past couple of days.” The man sat down and kissed Wu Tian on the forehead.

Wu Tian gradually relaxed. She introduced the man beside her to Si Yunyi.

“Doctor Si, this is my fiancé, Hai Mingxu.”

“Hello, Doctor Si.” Hai Mingxu extended his hand to Si Yunyi with a friendly smile.

Si Yunyi looked at the mixed-race man and briefly shook his hand.

Just as Si Yunyi lowered his hand, he suddenly saw the restaurant’s entrance open once again.

Another man who looked almost like an exact copy of Hai Mingxu hurried into the restaurant. The two men had identical faces, precisely the same hairstyles, and were even wearing exactly the same clothes.

The newcomer looked frantic. He practically ran to the table and stared at the man sitting beside Wu Tian.

“Hai Mingxi, what on earth are you doing?!”

His loud outburst drew the attention of most of the restaurant. When the diners saw the two men who looked virtually indistinguishable from one another, many of them widened their eyes in astonishment.

“Honey, I’m your real fiancé!” The newcomer was extremely anxious. “Have you forgotten the code phrase you sent me today? ‘Eat grapes without spitting out the bones’!”

The man sitting beside Wu Tian frowned.

“Mingxi, stop making a scene. Your sister-in-law and I are meeting a guest.”

“You’re Mingxi! I’m Mingxu!” The newcomer hurriedly tried to explain himself to Wu Tian. “Today, I saw Mingxi playing with my phone, and I immediately knew something was wrong. After I changed my clothes and tried to leave, I discovered that the door had been blocked from the outside! My neighbors heard me banging on it and helped move whatever had been placed in front of the door. That’s how I finally got out!”

“Honey.” The man sitting beside Wu Tian spoke seriously. “You know this is one of Mingxi’s usual tricks. Don’t let him deceive you.”

Wu Tian was already becoming thoroughly confused. She tried asking the newcomer, “What gift did you buy me last Christmas?”

“An entry-level Sony DSLR camera!” the newcomer answered hurriedly. “I even put a fluffy pair of reindeer antlers on it because I know you like small, cute things.”

“Honey, don’t believe him.” The man beside Wu Tian frowned. “He must have seen the gift I prepared back then.”

“Shut up! You’re the one who was snooping!” The newcomer was so furious that he looked ready to start an argument with the man before him.

Their voices grew louder and louder. The surrounding diners had practically stopped eating altogether, watching the unfolding drama with complete fascination.

Wu Tian finally couldn’t take it anymore. She slammed her hand against the table.

“Enough!”

She held out her hand toward the two men.

“Give me your phones. I want to see them!”

The newcomer quickly took out his phone and handed it to Wu Tian. The man sitting beside her also produced an identical phone and handed it over.

Wu Tian used her fingerprint to try unlocking both phones. When she pressed her finger against the phone handed to her by the man sitting beside her, the screen immediately lit up, displaying a message that the phone had been successfully unlocked.

She then tried using her fingerprint to unlock the phone belonging to the newcomer, only to discover that it wouldn’t open.

“Hai Mingxi, you didn’t see this coming, did you?” Wu Tian threw the newcomer’s phone at his face. “I already registered my fingerprint on Hai Mingxu’s phone! You bastard, you’re pulling this trick again. Don’t you ever get tired of it?!”

“No, Honey! When did you register your fingerprint on my phone?” The newcomer looked utterly bewildered. “When did that happen?”

“Stop pretending!” Wu Tian was so furious that she wanted to grab one of the decorations on the table and smash it against the newcomer’s head.

Si Yunyi quickly stood up and firmly grasped Wu Tian’s wrist.

Wu Tian looked at him, still burning with anger.

“He isn’t lying.” Si Yunyi gestured toward the newcomer. “If I’m not mistaken, he’s your fiancé.”

Wu Tian froze, still holding the decorative object. She lowered her head and looked again at the man sitting beside her.

“Just now, he displayed an incongruous smile. One corner of his mouth lifted slightly, which is a typical expression of contempt.” Si Yunyi looked at the man sitting beside Wu Tian. “He’s Hai Mingxi.”

Seeing that he’d been exposed, Hai Mingxi showed not the slightest remorse. Instead, he looked at Wu Tian with a cheeky grin.

“Sister-in-law, you keep saying how much you love my brother, yet you can’t even recognize the man you truly love. You even wanted to hit him.”

Hai Mingxi stood up and casually waved his phone.

“You registered your fingerprint on the wrong person’s phone back then. Don’t blame me for not warning you.”

He stepped away from the table, then suddenly seemed to remember something. Turning back, he looked at Wu Tian with a bright, mischievous smile.

“Oh, and I’m sorry, Sister-in-law, for kissing you just now.”

Wu Tian’s expression gradually darkened. Her fingers trembling, she pulled out several tissues, dampened them with tea, and frantically wiped her forehead.

“Honey, Honey, calm down!” Hai Mingxu hurried forward to stop Wu Tian. He quickly kissed her forehead. “It’s okay. It’s all right now.”

Wu Tian could barely control herself as she collapsed into the cushioned chair, tears streaming down her face. She didn’t want to say anything.

Hai Mingxu continued comforting his fiancée. He took a cute little cat figurine out of his pocket and showed it to her.

“Look, Honey. I saw this last night and thought you’d definitely like it.”

Sobbing, Wu Tian took the little figurine. Looking at her fiancé again, she felt even more miserable.

“I’m sorry. I mistook you for him again, and just now, I even…”

“It’s okay. Don’t take what Mingxi said to heart. Our parents love us very much, but even they can’t tell us apart. Don’t force yourself to do something that’s so difficult for you.”

Hai Mingxu did his best to soothe his fiancée’s emotions.

Looking at the little cat figurine only made Wu Tian feel worse. She lowered her head and remained silent.

Hai Mingxu turned toward Si Yunyi and extended his hand in a friendly gesture.

“Hello. I’m Wu Tian’s fiancé, Hai Mingxu.”

“Hello.” Si Yunyi extended his hand once again.

Hai Mingxu’s eyes held a hint of gratitude. He was thankful that Si Yunyi had recognized him earlier, but the two tactfully avoided mentioning what had just happened. Instead, they began ordering their food.

Hai Mingxu placed Wu Tian’s favorite dishes into her bowl. Only after seeing that his fiancée had calmed down a little did he begin discussing the problem that had been troubling them both.

“My younger brother and I are almost identical in appearance and build. When we were children, we often played a game where we’d switch identities. Sometimes, an entire month would pass without anyone noticing.”

Hai Mingxu smiled helplessly.

“We can easily unlock each other’s phones using facial recognition. Whether it’s a parcel locker or a storage locker at a supermarket, if it uses facial recognition, either of us can open the other’s.”

“We always thought it was fun, until I got a girlfriend.” Hai Mingxu seemed unsure how to explain the rest. “Mingxi wanted to keep the game going. When I refused, he started taking things too far, just like what happened today.”

“Doctor Si, did you see that?” Wu Tian couldn’t help interjecting. “He even bought clothes identical to his brother’s! Those were matching couple outfits that Mingxu and I bought together, and he wouldn’t even leave those alone!”

Si Yunyi nodded and lowered his eyes, pondering the situation.

“You were amazing just now, being able to tell them apart.” Wu Tian looked at Si Yunyi eagerly. “Doctor Si, could you teach me how to do that? Then I’d be able to tell them apart, too.”

“Recognizing microexpressions requires extensive training,” Si Yunyi explained, his gaze focused.

“People who happen to possess this talent often grew up in difficult circumstances during childhood, where they had to constantly pay attention to the expressions of those around them.

“One particularly talented student of mine achieved an identification accuracy rate of ninety percent after five years of study. However, determining whether your fiancé and his younger brother are lying would be considerably more difficult than reading the expressions of ordinary people.”

Si Yunyi put down his chopsticks.

“They’re twins, so it’s easy for them to put themselves in each other’s shoes. Their childhood identity-switching games effectively gave them years of practice at assuming each other’s identities.

“When Hai Mingxi answered your question about the Christmas gift, there were no signs of deception on his face. Even during the argument, he completely immersed himself in his brother’s identity, and his anger was entirely genuine.

“It was only when you finally mistook him for his brother and he was about to achieve his goal that he stopped identifying himself with his brother. That’s when he let his true intentions show.”

“Doctor Si, what should I do?” Wu Tian asked sadly. “I really don’t want to keep living like this.”

“Honey, please don’t give up.” Hai Mingxu looked uneasy. “I really love you. We’ve been together for so many years, and we’re about to enter the next stage of our lives and get married. Please don’t give up on us, okay?”

Wu Tian met her fiancé’s gaze, then looked at the little cat figurine in her hands. In the end, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse him and nodded.

Hai Mingxu let out a long sigh of relief. Looking somewhat embarrassed, he glanced at the two of them.

“I’m going to the restroom. You two can talk first.”

After watching Hai Mingxu leave, Si Yunyi turned toward Wu Tian.

“Don’t be sad. The problem doesn’t lie with you.”

Wu Tian raised her head, her eyes filled with confusion.

“Switching identities has never been a game that only one person plays.”

Si Yunyi refilled Wu Tian’s teacup.